Winter Storm in Idaho, February 7 to 8, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Idaho, February 7 to 8, 2002
Start: 2002-02-07T16:00
End: 2002-02-08T16:00
Location: Idaho

February 7 to 8, 2002 · NWS PIH · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.

A strong frontal system brought a variety of winter weather to all of southeastern Idaho including heavy snow and strong winds. The storm produced some heavy snowfall in the mountains with 6 to 12 inches reported by SNOTEL sites. Some other amounts were 8 inches at Pomerelle ski resort, 7 inches in Stanley, 7 inches at Island Park, 7 inches in Ketchum. Winds of 25 to 50 mph were common behind the passage of the cold front with gusts of 59 mph at Craters of the Moon and 58 mph at Minidoka. Several highways were closed on the morning of the 8th due to the wind and low visibilities. Interstate 84 was closed from Burley to the Utah border. Highway 26 was closed from just outside of Idaho Falls to the Wyoming border. Highway 32 from Ashton to Tetonia was closed as well as Highway 33 from Newdale to Tetonia. Although snow amounts were light in the Snake River Plain, less than 2 inches, the high winds caused reduced visibilities with extensive drifting causing icy roads. 75 accidents occurred in the Pocatello area. Icy roads were blamed for two fatal traffic accidents involving a 25 year old man on interstate 15 near Inkom and a 16 year old girl on interstate 15 near Blackfoot.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 7, 3:47 PM MST, 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 7, 3:47 PM MST, 13 minutes before

SOUTHEAST IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID
347 PM MST THU FEB 7 2002

WINTER STORM HEADING INTO REGION TONIGHT.  BOTH ETA AND AVN INDICATE
SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MTNS.  QPF VALUES EXCEED ONE
INCH IN THE CENTRAL MTNS...WITH NEAR AN INCH NEAR THE WY BORDER.  H7
WINDS LOOKING FAIRLY STRONG THRU FRI MORNING...SO WOULD EXPECT SOME
BLOWING SNOW IN THE HIGHER PASSES.  WILL GO WITH THE WINTER STORM
WARNING OPTION FOR THE MTNS.  FRONT PASSES TOMORROW MORNING...SO
SIGNIFICANT SNOW SHOULD COME TO AN END IN THE CENTRAL MTNS
EARLY...LINGERING THRU THE AFTN IN THE ERN HIGHLANDS.

THE SNAKE PLAIN SHOULD COME OUT WITH QUITE A BIT LESS SNOW...BUT WINDS
THREATENING TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE.  MORNING MODEL RUNS SHOWED A LARGE
DISCREPANCY BETWEEN PRESSURE GRADIENT ACRS ID.  AVN PROJECTING A 20+
MB GRADIENT FROM THE WY BORDER TO THE OR BORDER FRI MORNING.  ETA WAS
MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE.  ETA RUN AT 18Z HAS TIGHTENED THE GRADIENT
SOME...SO IT LOOKS LIKE STRONG SFC WINDS WILL BE A GOOD BET BY SUNRISE
IN THE PLAIN.  COMBINED WITH A FEW INCHES OF NEW SNOW...BLOWING AND
DRIFTING WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM.  THE GOOD NEWS IS THE GRADIENT
IS PROJECTED TO RELAX DURING THE AFTERNOON.  WILL GO WITH A BLOWING
SNOW ADV FOR THE ENTIRE SNAKE PLAIN FRI MORNING.

FOR THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD...HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES THRU WEEKEND
WITH WEAK UPPER WAVES PASSING MAINLY N OF CWA DURING FIRST HALF OF
WEEK.  NOT WELL DEFINED...SO WILL BROAD BRUSH SNOW/RAIN CHANCES MON
THRU WED.  THU LOOKS DRY.

HEDGES

KSFX WSR-88D...OPERATIONAL...VCP 21.

BYI 26/26/18  752

.PIH...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES CONTINUE TONIGHT
THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON.  SEE LATEST STATEMENTS FOR DETAILS.

PIH QB 023/031 013/025 004 07752

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Big and Little Wood River Region

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Big and Little Wood River Region forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Caribou Highlands

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Caribou Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Eastern Magic Valley

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Magic Valley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Lost River / Pahsimeroi

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Lost River / Pahsimeroi forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Lower Snake River Plain

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Lower Snake River Plain forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Sawtooth Mountains

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Sawtooth Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, South Central Highlands

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: South Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Upper Snake Highlands

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Upper Snake Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, Upper Snake River Plain

When: February 7, 4:00 PM MST to February 8, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Upper Snake River Plain forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, February 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5283467, 5283468, 5283469, 5283470, 5283471, 5283472, 5283473, 5283474, 5283475.